Indiana Fever Coach Gets Honest About Playoff Matchup vs Atlanta Dream

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has some concerns going into the first round of the playoffs.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) defends against Connecticut Sun forward Aaliyah Edwards (8) during the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The WNBA playoff bracket is set the Atlanta Dream can look forward to Sunday knowing they face off against the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Dream are hot off a 6-1 stretch to finish the regular season and enter the playoffs as the higher seed in their matchup against the Fever.

It may be a matchup that Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has been dreading. White has been on record multiple times identifying the Dream as a team she would want to avoid in the playoffs, citing the Dream's skill, experience and size as factors that would make them difficult to face.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White yells during the second quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

White's initial comments came on May 22, when she said "I don't feel like we match up well with [Atlanta]. I mean, they're tough to handle. Obviously, they've got a lot of Olympians, they're quick and skilled on the perimeter, they're big and strong and tough on the interior, they're experienced."

White doubled down on her concern with the Dream's size in September, saying "Their size at most all positions has been a challenge for us."

How the Dream's Size Compares to the Fever

White's worries with facing off against the size of the Dream are well-founded. Eight of the Dream's 12 players are six foot or above, and they feature center Brittney Griner, the tallest player in the WNBA at six-foot-eight, as a weapon coming off the bench.

Star Atlanta forward Brionna Jones presents another pressing size-related threat the Fever. Jones stands at six-foot-three and is one of the premier rebounders in the league for a reason

Atlanta Dream forward Brionna Jones (24) collects an offensive rebound against Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) and Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler (17) during the third quarter at Climate Pledge Arena. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

A particular outlier in regard to the Dream's size is just how tall many of their guards are: a position normally reserved for the smaller players on the court.

While every sub-six-foot player on the Dream are guards, they still boast four above-average players in the back court, headlined by the duo of Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, both All-Stars.

Those are the matchups in particular that will pose the most challenges for the Fever. The absence of Clark and forward Sophie Cunningham, who is out for the season with a knee injury, deprives Indiana of two players that could have matched up against Atlanta's size.

Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) shoots over Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey (3) during the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Instead, the burden will fall mostly on the shoulders of Fever forward Aliyah Boston, Indiana's tallest player at six-foot-five. Boston will have a full plate having to contend with Atlanta's defense, who held opponents to the least rebounds and third-least points of any defense in the WNBA.

One positive for White and her team is that knowing what their concerned about gives them direction on what to prepare for, but even then, the mismatch may be too much in the face of Atlanta.

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